Stay Active in the Community with Adult Day Programs
Maintaining strong social connections is important for a healthy, active, and long life. This is particularly important for older adults who may become socially isolated, individuals with Alzheimer’s, or individuals with disabilities. Adult Day Programs are one way to nourish social bonds with friends and neighbours in our community.

4 Things You Need to Know About Home and Community Care
Having control over your own independence can mean different things to different people, but one thing that stands out time and time again is the desire to live independently in your own home. Having access to home and community care services can help many people stay independent, while ensuring they are able to live a safe and healthy life.

Nov 29, 2016

Understanding Your Options: Tips to Help You Choose Where to Call Your Home
For most of us, home is a place where we have our own space, our own things, and the freedom to do what we want. However, as we age, our definition of home may change depending on factors such as health, access to services, and the ability to spend time with family and friends. This means it’s important for people to understand the options they have available for living at home or a home in their community.

Nov 17, 2016

A System View Coming to Computers and Mobile Devices
It’s evident from research that information technology can be an enabler in empowering organizational operations and driving improvement, ultimately to the benefit of patients. To this end, the ESC LHIN and Oculys have collaborated to create the first regional LHIN-view tool to provide real-time information for dealing with flow processes in and between hospitals.

Finding your health care options has become a lot easier thanks to the development of some excellent new tools. From phone, to online, to in-person, the following are resources that will help you locate the health care information and services you need.

May 30, 2016

Visiting the VON Adult Day Program
Just a short while ago, the Erie St. Clair LHIN’s very own Ron Sheppard, a Health System Manager for Windsor/Essex, paid a visit to the new VON Adult Day Program. The program was transitioned earlier this year into the community as a way of improving access and ensuring that it would be sustainable in the future.

Apr 18, 2016

New Online Library for Teens and Young Adults
The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre - Teen Health has launched a new online resource to help people ages 12 to 24 find important health information. The David Jaggs E-library is helping young people access accurate information about physical and mental health issues important to them.

Seeking Your Input on Doctor-Assisted Dying and End-of-Life Decisions
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) is looking for input on the topic of physician-assisted dying and end-of-life care decisions. Your feedback will be used to inform the MOHLTC’s approach to the sensitive and complex topic of end-of-life decisions and will help ensure that any future laws or policies meet the needs of people, respect personal wishes and support death with dignity.

Oct 02, 2015

City Centre Health Care Improves Appointment Wait Times by 75%
In May of 2014, staff at City Centre Health Care launched an initiative to find ways to reduce the time it takes to book follow-up appointments by 20%. One year later, the initiative has successfully reduced appointment wait times by 75%; far exceeding expectations.

The LDMH Neighbourhood of Care
The LDMH Neighbourhood of Care is improving resident’s access to addiction and mental health services by bringing health service providers together in one location. Located on-site at the Leamington District Memorial Hospital (LDMH) campus, the Neighbourhood of Care is currently home to 18 agencies who are offering programing out of the hospital, free of charge.

Erie St. Clair LHIN Lead Roles. Strong leaders are well known to draw on the advice of experts and the Erie St. Clair (ESC) LHIN is no exception to this rule. By developing strong partnerships with experts and aligning them as LHIN Leads, the ESC LHIN is better able to plan and manage local health care needs.

Long-Term Care and the Great Outdoor Air
When people think of Long-Term Care homes, they usually don’t think about toasting marshmallows on an open fire. But at the Blenheim Community Village Residence, the great outdoors, camp songs, and s’mores are something that both residents and staff enjoy.

Nov 25, 2014

Big News With Behavioural Supports Ontario
Our local Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) Team, at the Riverside Place Long-Term Care Home in Windsor, has some outstanding results to share. Thanks to the hard work of management, staff, and the Responsive Behaviour Team, Riverside Place has reduced physical response behaviours by 84 percent, and drastically improved the quality of life for its residents.

Oct 09, 2014

Working with Local Immigrants to Understand their Health Care Needs
The Erie St. Clair LHIN works hard to ensure that all residents in our area have access to equitable health care services. As part of our mandate, we actively work with and engage the community to get their feedback about what is working and where improvements can be made.

This 90-second LHINfo video, featuring Sarah May Garcia from the Erie St. Clair LHIN, outlines why this new Diabetes Central Intake Referral Form is important, what it means to health care providers, and how it will help to improve the quality of care.

People with complex or chronic health conditions are a priority for the ESC LHIN and local health service providers. To help ensure that people with complex health needs receive the care they need, over a dozen community health care providers and social service organizations have been meeting to develop the Chatham‐Kent Health Link (CKHL).

Caring Connections The Caring Connections program is offered by the House of Sophrosyne. Below is The Caring Connections program is aimed to support pregnant and parenting women (parenting children 0 6 years of age) with substance misuse and addiction

Florence, 82 years old, lives at home, and like many other people at around 11:40 in the morning, was on her way to the kitchen to make lunch. It was a perfectly normal Monday right up to the moment when Florence missed her footing on the last step of the stairs…

On April 29, 2013, the first new residents began to move into the 36 new and 32 renovated beds at Vision ‘74 Inc. long-term care home in Sarnia, Ontario. This new development is thanks in part to an investment of $1.4 million by the Erie St. Clair LHIN.

It’s been four years in the making, and it has been time well spent; the New Beginnings, Brain Injury Association of Chatham-Kent and the Sarnia-Lambton Stroke Recovery Association have successfully integrated their operations.

In this LHINfo Minute, we take a look at the second of two patient stories that have been brought to our attention. Jeanette Gravelle’s visited the Trillium Villa’s convalescent-care program and has experienced significant improvements in her quality of life - so much so that she is leaving long-term care and returning home.

When only 5% of our residents use more than 50% of our health care resources, it's vital that﻿ the Erie St. Clair LHIN (ESC LHIN) and our funded health service providers find creative ways to improve the delivery of care.

Erie St. Clair LHIN (ESC LHIN) Open Board Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of selected months. The public, media, and health service providers are invited to attend the meetings and hear the latest health care developments in Erie St. Clair.

Over the past few years, the Erie St. Clair LHIN (ESC LHIN) has been working hard to ensure that the public, health service providers, and other key stakeholders are able to provide input and engage with the ESC LHIN...

“We’ve seen a lot of changes over the past six years. LHINs have established themselves as the planners, managers, and funders of local health care, and this latest refresh of our Integrated Health Service Planning document provides strong focus for achieving measurable improvements. The IHSP 3 directly reflects our goal to create better care, better experiences, and better value for everyone.” - Gary Switzer, CEO, Erie St. Clair LHIN

Behavioural Supports in Ontario Special Update Part 2 – Angels Among Us The Behavioural Supports in Ontario (BSO) Project is a $40 million dollar provincial investment addressing the needs of older adults with responsive behaviours due to mental health, addictions,

Behavioural Supports in Ontario Special Update. Part 1 – Helping seniors and their families. Locally, Erie St. Clair has received $2.4 Million dollars towards helping us address the three pillars of the provincial strategy:

In 2010, the province of Ontario introduced the Excellent Care For All Act with the goal of: improving the quality and value of the patient experience through the application of evidence-based health care.

In part 1 of this series we looked at how Patient-Based Funding is essential for executing the province of Ontario’s commitment to ensuring that patients get the right care, at the right place, at the right time. In this article we’ll examine the components of the new funding model, how they work, and how they impact care.

The province of Ontario is committed to ensuring that patients get the right care, at the right place, at the right time. This commitment is backed by one of the largest changes to the health care system since the creation of the LHINs. Through the Patient-Based Funding model, launched in 2012, Ontarians are seeing a shift in the way health care dollars are being spent for services.

In Sarnia/Lambton, the concrete is poured, the walls are going up, and every day is one step closer to when the paint can cover the drywall. This excellent news highlights the positive construction progress being made at both the Fiddick’s and Vision Nursing Homes.

Ontario is moving forward in developing its Seniors Care Strategy, which will help older Ontarians (age 65 and older) stay healthy, live at home longer and receive the right care, at the right time and in the right place. To support the development of this strategy, Dr. Samir Sinha, Expert Lead, Seniors Care Strategy, is asking all Ontarians, but especially older Ontarians, their families and caregivers, and health and social care professionals for their input.

Over the past several years, the Erie St. Clair LHIN (ESC LHIN) has been actively addressing ways to reduce and eliminate these gaps through a tactical document known as the Integrated Health Service Plan (IHSP). While we are having great success aligning services through our IHSP, we have added a new tool to our tool box – our strategic plan.

May 03, 2012

2012 - 05 - 03 - New Mental Health Strategic Plan Looks to Create a Supportive Community - LHINfo MinuteFrom patient stories of success to new programs and tools available, over the past few months you have read a number of mental health initiatives currently underway at the Erie St. Clair LHIN. While each of these steps have proven to be invaluable for improving the lives of those in our communities, it is the Erie St. Clair LHIN’s role to look at the system as a whole to ensure that it is moving towards providing better care, experiences, and value.

Last year, more people experienced a mental disorder than any other illness - more than stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy combined. In an effort to help prevent Emergency Department visits, revisits, and to reduce our hospital admission rates, the Community Counselling Alliance (CCA) has launched a new tool for residents of Windsor and Essex County.

There are a fortunate few Ontarians whose only ever connection to mental health issues will be through watching movies. But for the vast majority, mental health issues are a reality and for 1 in 5 people, it’s a daily challenge.

There are a fortunate few Ontarians whose only ever connection to mental health issues will be through watching movies. But for the vast majority, mental health issues are a reality and for 1 in 5 people, it’s a daily challenge.

Approximately one in five Ontarians will experience a mental health and/or addiction problem during their life. Unlike an obvious physical impairment, mental health strikes at a level that is less tangible, but equally as impactful.

Regina, a client of the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, struggled with her weight and high blood pressure. On the advice of her primary care provider she joined the centre’s Active Aging and Health Management Program and began participating in their exercise classes.

When Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital (CEEH) in Petrolia was having issues staffing its 24/7 rural Emergency Department (ED), the local physicians proposed a reduction in service hours to relieve the pressure and burnout they were facing.

Sharon Bidtnes is one of 1,500 clients that LEO serves. Sharon’s life changed when she fell victim to a stroke in 1994. The stroke had left her unable to walk and she only regained her ability to talk after countless therapy sessions.

Worried about a resident’s change in behavior with the onset of confusion and lethargy, staff of a nursing home prepared to send Bob to the hospital. After assessment by the Nurse Led Outreach Team from Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital, Bob was diagnosed and treated for a urinary tract infection.

Gerald and Rose are senior citizens and have been managing a number of health conditions. Several years ago, Rose was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and also received a knee operation. Her recovery was not completely successful and after managing significant pain and trouble walking, she recently underwent full knee replacement surgery.

Looking back on progress made in 2010, the Erie St. Clair LHIN has made significant improvements to local heath care for the benefit of families living in Chatham-Kent, Sarnia/Lambton, and Windsor/Essex.

Those who work directly with or care for someone who has dementia understands the special care required in dealing with this difficult condition. However, dementia awareness is something that benefits the entire community.

Preventing seniors from experiencing a fall and providing greater options for community-based rehabilitation are the goals of the new services recently funded at the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre (CK CHC).

Residents of Wiidsemshin Assisted Living Facility on Kettle and Stony Point First Nation are receiving care from a team of health care professionals, most of whom are from within their own First Nations community and share their same culture and values.

Leamington District Memorial Hospital (LDMH) will be unveiling a new program on August 4, 2010, to improve the care delivered to frail elderly patients and reducing Alternate Level of Care (“ALC”) rates.

Helping isolated seniors who are at risk is the goal of the VON Friendly Visiting and Security Checks programs. Funded by the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN), through the Aging at Home Strategy, this program features new and expanded services geared towards providing companionship, either in-person or through a friendly phone call, to lonely or isolated seniors, or people with a disability.

Although the Internet is typically viewed on screen, a new feature on the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) web site will have your computer reading the latest in local health care news to you.

90 second LHINfo – Improving Care on Pelee Island Sandra Lariviere, Health System Design Manager, Erie St. Clair LHIN, provides a quick update to the on going success story regarding access to care on Pelee Island. Over the past few